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Teams face second-half marathon toward playoffs
By Scott Burnside
"March Madness."
That's what Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff calls it, and he's not talking about the dressing room basketball pool.
No, Ruff is talking about what awaits his Sabres and the rest of the NHL now that the Olympic break is over and the NHL race to the playoffs moves into high gear.
The NHL returned to action Tuesday after the 15-day Torino Olympic break. For teams from coast to coast, the next 50 days between Feb. 28 and the final regular season games on April 18 promise to be a blur. Teams will play anywhere between 23 to 26 games during this period, essentially one every other night. It is a schedule that will test the resolve of players, the depths of organizations and the wherewithal of coaches and their staffs, to say nothing of the training staffs who will have to patch together lineups every 48 hours or so.
The Sabres play 26 games, a double-edged sword for coach Lindy Ruff, who would like to see his team finish no worse than fourth in the conference to secure home-ice for at least the first round of the playoffs but who would also like his injury-riddled team to have as much rest time as possible.
By Scott Burnside
"March Madness."
That's what Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff calls it, and he's not talking about the dressing room basketball pool.
No, Ruff is talking about what awaits his Sabres and the rest of the NHL now that the Olympic break is over and the NHL race to the playoffs moves into high gear.
The NHL returned to action Tuesday after the 15-day Torino Olympic break. For teams from coast to coast, the next 50 days between Feb. 28 and the final regular season games on April 18 promise to be a blur. Teams will play anywhere between 23 to 26 games during this period, essentially one every other night. It is a schedule that will test the resolve of players, the depths of organizations and the wherewithal of coaches and their staffs, to say nothing of the training staffs who will have to patch together lineups every 48 hours or so.
The Sabres play 26 games, a double-edged sword for coach Lindy Ruff, who would like to see his team finish no worse than fourth in the conference to secure home-ice for at least the first round of the playoffs but who would also like his injury-riddled team to have as much rest time as possible.
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